Cirque des Quatre Saisons
by victoriarogue
Summary: Sonic and the gang haven't heard anything from Eggman in almost a year.  With nothing else to do other than train and mess around, Amy discovers a circus opening nearby and becomes interested in one of the acrobats.  Eggman uses the opening circus to get inspiration for a new project and involves himself with the new merry atmosphere to start his own circus using the star acrobat.
1. Chapter 1

Tarmikos the Penguin was a busy, impatient male; soon, he hoped to run his unique entertainment business on the outskirts of the city of New Mobotropolis. All of the time-consuming preparations had to be done by next week, yet the pressure was stressful and exhilarating all the same. Tarmikos was a ring master, and his business was running a circus. This would be his fourth time supporting the circus this year! He always wanted to run his own circus, and, now that the fall season was coming up, he had to make the final debut within the year a smash hit. He knew he could do it with his newest, multi-talented starlet.

During the first season's run in Tobuchi Town, two of his acts had been down: no acrobats and no animal handlers. That wintry season was colder with less success starting out. Only 2,515 tickets were sold out of the ten thousand plus populace in Tobuchi Town, and 1,258 of those tickets were given back in refunds. However, once he found new performers, spring's debut on Christmas Island became well-known. Ticket sales doubled! The third season was his best yet. With new equipment and a new management team, the summer debut on South Island made his career colossal! He sold 6,288 tickets! His goal was to sell a thousand tickets in New Mobotropolis, a relatively smaller city and populace than Tobuchi Town, and publicity would certainly get that if he played the right cards.

Tarmikos took a deep breath, sighed, then scuttled hastily through the city of New Mobotropolis. The black penguin was about four feet tall, considerably tall for his race who reached no more than three feet. He wore a green mesh shirt and a tan Aegean wool Fiddler cap. The only other odd thing about the penguin was that he had a small sunburst nose ring and orange eyes. Not too many Marconi penguins wear body jewelry nowadays; it could be quite trendy if penguins had the ability to accept body jewelry on their person (namely, their beaks).

Tarmikos was looking for City Hall where he could possibly meet with King Max Acorn before going to the newspaper facilities and magazine companies. A kind stranger told him what street to take. Tarmikos only hoped that King Max was willing to cooperate with him about opening his rising circus.

* * *

><p>"Man, this is getting boring!" Sonic complained, standing up.<p>

Sonic was on South Island with his friend, Miles Prower. Tails sighed, trying not to frown at Sonic's restless mood. They were by the beach and sitting under palm trees. Earlier, Tails discovered two trains worth of equipment and people building something in an open field near New Mobotropolis. King Max and Princess Sally were speaking with one of the people, but their faces looked grim with worry. He thought the scene was suspicious and told Sonic that Doctor Robotnik a.k.a. "Eggman" might have been scheming to destroy everything again. Sonic the Hedgehog being Sonic the Hedgehog found it in himself to infiltrate the Eggman Empire's airship base to investigate. Except they discovered that Eggman wasn't even on the airship. Sonic threatened one of the guards, hoping Eggman wasn't already in space en route to another planet, and discovered that Eggman was on a water park resort in Emerald Town. Tails thought they should wait for Eggman to make a move first before going to disrupt the peace in the town's resort, but Sonic doesn't wait for evil to rise. Once they embarked to Emerald Town, Tails regreted ever assuming anything suspicious coming from the doctor.

_"Hey, Eggman!" Sonic shouted, running up to the bikini-wearing doctor taking a snooze._

_"Sonic, wait! I don't think he's - !" Tails tried._

_"Aaaaaaaaack!" Eggman shouted, being hit multiple times by Sonic's homing attacks._

_Sonic landed, grinning victoriously, then saluted Tails. "Hah, another evil plan foiled by yours truly! Maybe you should try destroying something more inhabitable and less vacation-y though, Eggster. This type of atmosphere isn't exactly your thing."_

_Eggman stood ominously above Sonic, eyes glowing with anger, "I don't _have_ an evil plan for you to foil, you rat! Can't you tell when someone's on vacation? What the hell is your problem? I haven't created another plan to destroy this miserable planet and every rat-looking simpleton like you living on it in a full year! I took some well-needed advice for once and decided to rest for two weeks because I've been stressed, frustrated, and restless since winter!" _

_A whistle from a woman, interrupted Eggman's ranting. She was peeking at his butt protruding from his leopard-patterned bikini bottom. She said, "Nice cheeks, mister."_

_"What's the matter with all of you people?" Eggman shouted incredulously. "I'm ranting about how inconsiderate this blue rodent is being, and you're staring at my butt. Are you serious?"_

_"So uncute," the woman said, walking away with her friends._

_"Sheesh, you're annoying when you haven't finished your nap," Sonic commented, shrugging._

_"Listen, you incompetent little - !"_

_"We're sorry, Eggman," Tails said, pulling Sonic away. "We mistakened you for another enemy who we should probably be investigating right now because he has nothing to do with you obviously. Please enjoy your beverage and go back to sleep while we leave far away from this resort to find out about said new enemy who isn't with you and isn't in this resort and, more importantly, isn't you. Sonic if you don't hurry we might miss our chance to find out some information from King Max. So let's just leave Eggman, this resort, and this town quickly so we can take care of that new enemy before the planet goes kablooey. Bye, Eggman!"_

_"Later!" Sonic said, eventually leaving the resort in Emerald Town._

Now, to summarize the reason why Sonic and Tails are on South Island, they were recovering from some embarassment after falsely accusing Eggman of plotting to destroy the world again. They probably gave him all the reason he needed to destroy the universe after this morning. Who wants to be beaten up while taking a nap on a five-star resort during their two-week vacation? Then again, who wants to see Eggman in a bikini on a five-star resort during his vacation? Well, the woman who whistled at him might have wanted to see that, but the rest of the world would rather not. Sonic paced back and forth under the trees' shade that fine afternoon. Tails sighed and walked along the beach before Sonic called out to him.

"Hey, Tails, where ya goin'?" he asked.

"Wanna go train?" Tails suggested, knowing Sonic might approve.

"I'll do anything to get away from here," Sonic remarked, running ahead of Tails.

Honestly, Tails wouldn't have minded resting a bit more on the beach. The wind was cooler because of summer's end and fall's beginning, so the beach was certainly more enjoyable. However, he would have to enjoy the beach on his own time. Sonic was not a rest and relaxation kind of guy. Tails just hoped the mission simulator was working today. An angry Sonic was worse than an impatient one.

* * *

><p>Tarmikos the Penguin was as happy as a camper could be. The circus would be opened for business in a few days if everything was timed just right! King Max approved of the new entertainment and allowed Tarmikos to build his carnival grounds in a vacant lot outside of town. He and his daughter, Sally, were worried that the circus animals would get loose in the city, especially the lions and tigers - no bears, but Tarmikos reassured them that nothing would happen. The lions and tigers were quite tame and trained. His only worry was them mating with each other again. The animal handler had to pay close attention to the new lion, tiger, and liger cubs, but they were almost ready to participate in the circus act too. They would be fully trained by the coming spring.<p>

"Alright, guys, the trains are going to be in the small woods," Tarmikos announced to the train drivers. "Dressing rooms and all will be located back there. So let's go move 'em over there pronto! Tiln. Ian. Follow the trains and get the fencing done. I don't want any thieves stealing equipment or luggage. That includes our food. I need to call in for stock, and I want what I pay for to be safe."

"Yes, sir!" Ian the Lemur shouted, saluting. He looked at Tiln, another lemur, and said, "You cover the right side. I'll meet you in the middle."

"'Kay, bro," Tiln said, hopping to follow the right train while Ian followed the left one.

"Mace, I need the blueprints," Tarmikos said, looking out into the sky. The sun was beginning to set and dinner time would be soon. Hopefully, Ian and Tiln could finish the fencing in the woods. Papers were handed to Tarmikos with a grunt. He peered over them and said, "Thank you, Mace. Help Ian and Tiln with the fencing would you."

"Yes, sir," Mace the Spider Monkey said, running to the lemur brothers.

"Ravaaga," Tarmikos called, earning a hiss. "I need you to mark where the shops should be. Take this map and be sure to get the measuring devices from the blue train to help you. I need 7,468 square feet worth of souvenir shops. Once you're done marking where the shops will be, use the weed whacker to cut down some of the tall grass and we'll build from there. That'll be all for today. Tomorrow is where the work really kicks in. Is Maya still on the train?"

"She's by the lake," someone shouted from a distance.

"Of course," Tarmikos said, sighing.

Maya the Kangamouse (abbrev. of "kangaroo mouse") was always near water if there was some nearby. She has never told anyone why water was so precious to her. Tarmikos saw the kangaroo mouse seated on a large flat rock next to the creek, typing on her blue laptop. Fireflies were fluttering about as the sun was setting more. Tarmikos watched as her large ears flattened on the sides of her head.

"Figures you'd be here instead of by the trains," he said, standing beside her. "It's really beautiful, isn't it? The creek, I mean."

"I'd like to use it," Maya said quietly.

"How?"

"Gandola rides," she answered, dipping her foot into the creek. The ripples in the water were very serene and formed interesting crescents as they expanded across. A family of ducks swam across the creek, quacking in rhythmic song.

"How much?"

"Seven dollars maybe," she said, returning to her typing. "Not seven dollars a person, though. Just seven dollars for the ride. Our gandolas have a 1500 lbs capacity, and there's only two of them. If a family of six were to ride at seven dollars per person, then they would have to pay 42 dollars. That wouldn't be fair economically, and the creek isn't as large as a river or a molt. It's about as big as a pond or a small lake. Plus the children would be disappointed if they couldn't ride at the expense."

Tarmikos hummed in agreement then turned to the mouse. He said, "What have you been working on the past month?"

"A website for the circus," Maya answered, showing Tarmikos her detailed work. "It's almost done. I just need a few pictures. Since you busted my camera after having a world-class tantrum, I have to go out and buy a new one. I need the key to the bank car. About a hundred dollars is good for a cheap camera and its accessories. Depending on the cost of extra film, batteries, editing, and development, it may be about that much."

"Well, that's not too bad," Tarmikos said, digging in his hat for the keys. "I'll get extra change for you just to be safe. Wouldn't want you going on a spending spree."

"_I_ don't shop for anything. Versha does," Maya remarked, typing again. "I either make my own clothes or receive them as a gift. Half the time I just pick up scraps of fabric off the floor and go buy supplies. Nothing resembling a spree."

"It's kinda sad," Tarmikos responded, sighing. "Cute as can be, yet you don't wanna look it. Only in show biz do you give off the cute. How ideal."

"Don't you have a bank car to unlock there, boss?" Maya questioned in a friendly banter and smirk. "Unless you don't want ticket sales to reach max distribution, I suggest you hop to it. I hear we've got a long day tomorrow."

"And we do," he said, raising his chest in pride. "Right now, we're just securing the lands we're using. Luckily, this creek is a part of the acres we're occupying. Consider yourself fortunate. I'll designate everyone's job for the next few days. For now, we should enjoy this August night. Tuesday 'til Friday will be the most strenuous."

"Will we be able to take a vacation in between setting up and training?" she asked, raising - what would be - an eyebrow.

"Yep. Three-day break, two-day training, and then the debut," Tarmikos joked, displaying interesting jazz hands and spirit fingers - that of which he doesn't have.

* * *

><p>Amy Rose was tired of training with Julie-Su the Echidna. Nothing exciting was happening, and Sonic nearly killed Eggman for nothing last Monday! Today was a lovely, boring, unamusing, disgustingly sweaty Saturday in the first week of August. Summer hadn't left yet, and Julie-flippin'- Su wanted to train with Amy as much as she possibly could whenever there was free time. Problem is Amy had too much spare time this year. Chasing Sonic became a one-hour-a-day hobby. That's not normal! If something interesting didn't happen soon, Amy thought she was going to burst and just do what Sonic does half of his time: infiltrate Eggman Empire and break a few things. Julie-Su used to be a nice girl, but either something happened between Julie-Su and Knuckles the Echidna or her name was Alabaster Albatross...and it wasn't.<p>

Amy was in her room playing a miniature Whack-O-Mole game on the carpet. She sighed, stood up, and walked over to her computer to play Purble Pairs. She pushed the power button on and waited for the CPU to load her desktop. As she went on the internet to search for Purble Pairs, a message beeped through the speakerphone and woke her curiosity. She opened another tab to view the message and saw that a circus was opening soon. Something interesting, finally! Amy observed the web page and noticed the background displaying a slideshow. A young woman was stretching her body in an uncomfortable-looking position. Her hands were on the ground, but her legs were straight and pointed above her upper torso; basically, she held her entire body up with just her flat hands. She had pretty, long, wavy blue hair though. Not like Sonic's but a gentler and lighter hue of blue. Her picture changed to stilt walkers and music faded in as it played. Amy clicked the "Acts & Performers" tab to see if the girl had another picture. Instead, a video played and showed short clips of interviews and performances. The biggest teaser the pink hedgehog would eye!

The circus looked fun, however. It was definitely new, and Amy wanted to see the acrobat with the blue hair in person. Certainly, she can't take an entire act of assumingly twenty minutes stretching like that picture. Most definitely not...right? Amy scrolled down the page to see a "Contact" and "Ticket Information" tab at the bottom. She clicked it and read about the order. There was a booth in City Hall that sold the tickets in a package for the circus! Visitors and/or participants get a bracelet for the rides and games, and if a person couldn't make it with the party then the money paid for that person could be exchanged for coins to get free food! Perfect!

"Forget training with Julie-Su!" Amy exclaimed, jumping out of her chair. "I'm getting tickets at lunchtime! I hope Sonic and Tails are up for the trip."

* * *

><p>"I ain't goin' if it's just me," Sonic answered.<p>

"Wha - ? But Sonic!" Tails said, pouting.

Amy had just come from her house to search for Sonic and Tails to invite them to see the circus, and Sonic was denying her. Tails was slightly disappointed and angry that Sonic didn't want to go. One of the reasons for being so was because he had been training with Tails's mission simulator since Monday morning after kicking Eggman's bikini-clad ass! Now, granted, they did travel to other islands and towns to use other mission simulators, but Tails had to find parts to fix some of the mission levels. The week was perfect for a barbeque, and he had to keep Sonic occupied! No, Sonic was going whether Sonic wanted to or not.

"Why not?" Amy asked, stomping her feet and puffing her little cheeks. "It'll beat training with a simulator for a week at least."

"Speaking of training, how does Julie-Su feel about you ditching classes?" Sonic asked, pointing at Amy nonchalantly.

"I'm not telling that slave driver anything," Amy said, turning her head to blow steam out of her ears. "If you don't tag along, I'll go by myself. I'd go any day to get away from training, playing video games, or cleaning the house. Plus, there's someone I want to see there. Be a lame, boring boyfriend all you want. I'm going to enjoy my weekend. Tails, you're welcome to join me or join this bozo!"

"Wait a minute!" Tails shouts, hoping to reconcile. "Sonic, you said you wouldn't go if it was just you, right?"

"Did I?" Sonic asked, trying to remember his own words.

"Yes, that's what you said," Tails responded, slapping his head after sighing. "Look. Why don't we invite some friends to join us? Like Knuckles or Julie-Su or even Vector."

"Let's not invite Julie-Su and say we did," Amy commented, folding her arms.

"If everyone agrees not to invite Julie-Su, then we won't ask Jule-Su. Does that mean you'd like for Knuckles to join?" Tails asked, smiling gently.

"That red bastard would do anything to avoid joining us for anything except stopping Eggman," Sonic remarked. "We'd have to drag him off his precious, floating time bomb of an ancient island if we want him to show him up. Unless you tell him his Master Emerald was replaced with a fake, he ain't movin' from its safehold."

Amy and Tails looked at Sonic, considering his thoughts, then looked at each other. Actually, Sonic's sarcastic and cold remarks made a decent plan. They could create a replica of the Master Emerald, say Eggman stole the real one while he and the other guardians were sleeping, and possibly lead him here. Then again, Knuckles would know a fake emerald from a real one. Plan B would be to say they were in trouble and drag him off his island. No, they needed something so ridiculously colossal that even Knuckles would be godsmacked or afraid and come to the rescue. Something too incredible, something bigger than Sonic's mishaps, something...only Sonic could do. Amy and Tails looked at Sonic again, smirked mischievously, and then tackled him down to tie him up.

* * *

><p>Knuckles the Echidna went hunting for fruits through the trees after Vector the Crocodile agreed to guard the Master Emerald while he was away. To say Knuckles was as wild as Sonic was an insult, but to say he was innovative like him was more relative. Knuckles was surfing through the trees, taking mangos and peaches from their branches, and placed multiple findings into baskets positioned just below the trees burroughs. Creativity lessens the hardships of climbing up and down trees, squatting to pick them up, throwing beaten ones away, and punching hell out of the vegetation to activate the growth hormone. Why did it take an egotistical hedgehog to inspire such innovation? Knuckles jumped from the trees and sorted through the baskets. There were a lot of peaches this year. The basket was nearly filled to the top!<p>

He lifted the basket of peaches onto a wagon and began doing the same for the other baskets. Suddenly, a shadow passed over Knuckles's head. He snapped his eyes up and saw the same shadow pass over again. Roaring echoed.

_Eggman? _Knuckles thought, narrowing his gaze.

It wasn't Eggman to Knuckles's relief but it was Tails and his Tornado jet. The chopper would have been easier to hear, but the jet was stealthily quiet and faster. Knuckles's looked at the filled wagon and flinched. Tails was about to land on it! He pulled the wagon as swiftly as he could then waited for Tails to jump out.

"Knuckles, I need your help!" Tails cried out, desperately. "Please!"

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's Sonic and Amy!" Tails replied. "Sonic went to go investigate another evil plan that Eggman created, and Amy and I went to help just to be safe. When we got to Eggman's base in Emerald Town, Eggman activated a weird device that captured Sonic. Amy went to save him, but a giant robot did something to her. It was like she was being controlled. I tried calling out to her, but she couldn't hear me. She attacked me and took the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic. I managed to break out of my cell and retrieve the Tornado, but I don't know what Eggman plans to do with them. Please, Knuckles, you've gotta help me stop Eggman!"

"Say no more, kid," Knuckles said, running to the Tornado. He hopped in it and held his hand out for Tails to board the jet. "Let's go!"

_Wow, he really is gullible, _Tails thought, mentally smirking. _I didn't think this would work so easily, but Sonic was right. Now, to go meet Amy at the mission simulator._

"Here, you might need this," Tails said, handing Knuckles an earpiece and scanner. "It'll show the stats of an enemy and a map of the base in case you get lost."

* * *

><p>"No, not that!" Sonic yelped in fear. "I'll do anything just don't torture me like this! Slap me, punch me, hell kick me even, but don't do that to me!"<p>

"I'll only stop if you agree to take me to the circus as your _real girlfriend_, Sonic," Amy whispered, eerily seductively.

Sonic was locked in Tails's simulator chambers after agreeing to be in trouble for Knuckles to get off his red butt and come with them to the circus. He was up for it if he could get a few laughs out of the echidna. Now, Knuckles would never laugh at anything Sonic joked about per se, but Sonic could laugh at Knuckles any day.

"I'm going lower, boyfriend," Amy said, suggestively. "I'll make sure to give it to you fast and hard. You like going fast, don't you, Sonic?"

"Oh god, I'm gonna die!" he said, inching away from the pink hedgehog.

"It'll be fun, boyfriend," Amy purred. "I like it hard, and you like it fast. We'll both be satisfied."

"Amy, I don't think you have a clue as to what the hell you're doing right now," Sonic tried. "Have you ever used your skills on anyone else besides me?"

"Of course, Sonic, I'm not weak in _that_ department. I've done it a bunch of times. My skills are second-to-none."

"For the love of everything on Mobius!"

"Either you take me out on our first date or I take you to the ends of the Earth and smash you to pieces!" Amy shouted, lifting her Piko Piko Hammer above her head.

Sonic screamed for his life, praying Tails and Knuckles would hurry up and rescue him. To his relief, they ran through the doors. He sighed, relaxed his body, and started tugging at his restraints for the added effect. Knuckles smashed the controls to free Sonic and tackled Amy to the ground. He started shaking her viciously, thinking a little violent tugging would work.

"Amy snap out of it!" Knuckles said, spittle dripping from his bottom lip. It landed on Amy's skirt. "Don't you recognize your own friends? You almost killed your boyfriend. You'd be single again if you did that, ya goof!"

"Kn-Kn-Knu..." Amy whispered, dizzy from the shaking but still in character. "Knuckles? Why are you here? Oh no, Sonic! Is he okay?"

"Just peachy," Sonic said, smirking wildly. "I like you better when you're not about to break my skull open."

_And when you're not implying sexual things to the audience, _Sonic thought. _Someone could make a fan fiction about that._

"Where's Eggman?" Knuckles asked, standing to his feet.

"Who?" Sonic asked, terminating the scheme. Tails and Amy were frantically waving at Sonic to keep playing along but to no avail.

"Idiot, you're in Eggman's base," Knuckles said, folding his arms. "Amy was controlled by some robot, right? Eggman locked you up, so where's Eggman?"

"Sheesh, Eggman's in Emerald Town sippin' a wine cooler from a coconut probably. He hasn't been terrorizing anything for almost an entire ye - " Sonic stopped, realizing he told Knuckles about Eggman's vacation at the town's resort Monday night. Tails told him to act like he discovered something other than Eggman's love of bikinis while on the beach. Oops.

Knuckles gritted his teeth, growled, then punched the ground. The entire floor was shattered from where he punched it.

"Amy, gimme the hammer," Knuckles ordered.

"But Knuckles, we - "

"Give me the hammer!" Knuckles shouted, snatching the Piko Hammer from Amy's hand. He chased Sonic with it at an abnormal speed then stopped. He took a deep breath, placed the hammer down, and walked out of the simulator chamber. He said, "I'm going to eat something."

"Do you want me to come along, too?" Tails asked. Knuckles turned to him and roared fiercely, silencing everyone in the room. "Okay, never mind. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to that crab, Tails," Sonic said, seriousness in his voice. "He's just mad 'cause he fell for your act. He says he doesn't like being away from his giant gem but he leaves to save us on your behalf. He thinks we abused his friendship for this running gag to show how gullible he is. I can't argue for him 'cause he's as gullible as they come. You did right to get him off his island to hang out with us. Just leave him to his fruit. He'll get fat, relieve his rotten mood, and go home to watch a glow-in-the-dark flashlight like the stiff that he is."

Knuckles looked at Sonic as he made his speech then continued to leave the simulator. He was already made a fool; he would not succumb to proving Sonic wrong this time. In fact, he was going to do what Sonic said: eat some palm tree dates, use Tails's scanner that he stole from him to search for grapes, gather the fruits, and catch a ride home. Screw this island and that mission simulator! Knuckles was under enough stress as of late with his fierce break-up with Julie-Su. He hadn't told anyone about it, and it had been a month since the split between them. They were practically inseparable starting out, but the feelings they had for each other changed. Neither of them knew why. Now, he was being toyed with by his own friends. What was next? Knuckles heard footsteps following him and prepared to roar at whoever it was. Roaring seemed to help lately.

"Knuckles, wait, please!" Amy called.

"What?" Knuckles questioned, glaring at the pink hedgehog.

"Knuckles, we never meant to make you angry. It's just that you normally would avoid hanging out with us unless the situation involved Eggman. I wanted to ask you to take a break and spend some time with us, but Sonic said you'd never agree to it. He knows you better than I do, so - "

"You thought you'd go with his plan and get Tails involved?" Knuckles finished, walking away from her. "Unbelievable!"

"Well, it's the truth!" Amy replied, stopping Knuckles from continuing his walk. "To be honest, I didn't think about asking anyone to come with me to hang out. I was gonna go to the outskirts of New Mobotropolis to see a circus this Wednesday. Sonic said he wouldn't go unless someone came, so I asked Tails. Tails wanted to come, but he didn't want to leave Sonic behind. No one was gonna go with me but me. Tails made the suggestion that we ask other friends and you came to mind. That's when the plan came about. I know it sounds wrong, but that's the whole truth."

"When Tails thought of me..." Knuckles started, holding his breath. "Did he think of Julie-Su, too?"

"Well, yeah, but I said not to ask her this time," Amy answered, surprising Knuckles. "She's really nice and all, but she's been too much lately. I can't go to sleep without her telling me to finish training."

"You said you were going Wednesday?" Knuckles asked, straightening his hunched posture. Amy nodded. He said, "I'll go...without Julie-Su. As far as we're concerned, between the two of us, she doesn't deserve to go until she apologizes for taking out her anger on you."

"She's been using me as a scapegoat?" Amy asked angrily, balling her hands into fists. "Why that pink, onery - oooo!"

"She's just upset because we broke up," Knuckles said quietly.

Amy gasped then said, "But...why did you two...? Wha - what happened?"

"Change of heart," Knuckles responded, walking towards a fruitful palm tree.


	2. Chapter 2

Tarmikos the Penguin walked into the big tent and took a deep breath. The bleachers were set in stable rows around the ring like a thrust stage. The stage and entrance way were bleached clean; the rims of the stage were red and yellow curved cushions that stood tall like little walls. The music equipment and instruments were set neatly in the small basement; the basement was in front of the curtain where the performers would enter on the stage. Buckwheat, the animal handler, was training the tigers onstage in playful glee. There were two white tigers and two orange ones. Altogether there were eight wild cats, and they were all really sweet...a bit flirty with each other but sweet. A strong bellow outside sounded: the elephants were training, too. Everyone was busy practicing. Tonight was the big day for the circus's debut! It was noon on this Wednesday in September. The DJ was checking his equipment and making sure everything worked properly. Dress rehearsal was going to be in another hour then it was a 5-minute showing for each act and routine.

Buckwheat directed the tigers to stand on their hind legs with a clap. The white tigers obeyed immediately and earned a few pieces of cooked steak. The orange tigers growled in jealousy, but they followed their comrades and understood what the clapping was for. They were used to the cracking of the whip or the clicking of the trainer's tongue. He didn't use those today.

Tarmikos had already checked the trains, carnival area, and souvenir shops. All that was left were the performers. He had to make sure the costumes and themes matched with them. Since they were once all rogues, thieves, or plainly homeless in Tobuchi Town, no one truly knew about fashion. With exception to Versha, she was helping with costume coordination.

Maya the Kangamouse had done a terrific job with the new website. More people saw the advertisement for the circus on the computer than the magazines, flyers, and newspapers put together. Shame they didn't have much appreciation for technology back home in Tobuchi Town. It was everywhere like some futuristic wasteland, but it took away the fun of being active and going somewhere. Much of the personal connection with performing became primitive and obsolete with so many people in Tobuchi Town. New Mobotropolis was willing to accept his old school entertainment with open arms. Tarmikos began to wonder about the Kangamouse. She usually practiced in the big tent with the tigers or at least the DJ. Where was she anyway?

"Kenny, where's Maya?" Tarmikos asked. Kenny was the DJ. "Doesn't she normally hang around you and Buckwheat?" The tigers growled, feeling ignored. "Yes, you too kitties."

"She's outside in the bamboo box," Kenny said.

"The bamboo box? Already?" Tarmikos questioned. Maya didn't practice in the bamboo box until it was showtime. She was pretty early with the box routine. "Hm, wonder what she's up to now?"

"Her and Versha had a bit of a dare earlier this morning," Buckwheat said. Buckwheat was a mouse, shorter than everyone combined, but he had the deepest baritone voice you could imagine. "It might have something to do with that, eh?"

"Does anyone know what the dare was about?" Tarmikos asked.

"There seem to be changes in the acts," Buckwheat said. "Carnival games, too. I heard from Ravaaga there was going to be a lasting impression this season for those two girls. Ian was the referee. You might get better details from him. Come, tigri, we go play outside."

Tarmikos frowned as he watched Buckwheat direct the tigers outdoors. He followed him out. Maya was pivoting on her palms as she hand-walked across bamboo ends. Her legs walking about in circles around her upper torso as she moved. Tarmikos was actually disturbed by Maya's inexplicable capabilities to stretch her body and move it in ways no human could when they first met. She was no ordinary kangaroo mouse! She was extremely tall for her race. Kangaroo mice were normally no taller than three feet, and she was an astounding four feet and eight inches. Her legs were long, and her tail was also long and strong. She can balance herself on her tail alone. She never uses the tail in her act though. Maya stopped walking on her hands and feet and stood straight.

"What's wrong?" Maya asked quietly.

"You're in the box pretty early, don't you think?" he questioned, raising a brow. "What are you gonna practice with opening night?"

"The ropes," she answered calmly, almost stating the obvious. However, Maya never practiced with the ropes unless asked by a circus goer. That's what made Tarmikos worry. "They're all tied in the forest trees in front of the trains."

"Are...you nervous...?" he asked.

He heard through the train drivers that Maya only practiced with ropes when she was tense, nervous, or upset, and she was rarely either of those things. Maya stood there motionless until she sighed. She was more than that. Versha challenged her to the unspeakable, but that was a girl thing. Tarmikos wouldn't understand it. Well, maybe he would. It couldn't hurt to say.

"Versha dared me to close my dancing sash act with a fan service," Maya said, blushing. "I'm supposed to present a gift to a member in the audience at your choosing. The services are chosen by the royalties of a playing deck of cards. It doesn't really make me nervous, but it's the Queen of Hearts I'm in fear of..."

"You fear...what?" Tarmikos prompted.

"I'm supposed to go on a free gandola ride with the person," Maya said, blush deepening. "The way Versha said it made it seem like a date."

Tarmikos stood there then began to grin. His grin turned to snickering, and his snickering changed to giggles. Soon, the penguin guffawed at how ridiculous the dare was! Versha challenged Maya to service a fan? Her popularity was going to swoop down in stitches. Tarmikos ceased laughing and frowned. Was this girl really scared of a date?

"The only thing scary about this is your vulnerability," Tarmikos said. "This is a business, and, if you're going to let a little date affect you, then you won't be a part of it this season. When I found, you told me you wanted to work until you were incapable of doing much more. Are you giving up on me now?"

"No, sir," Maya said, shaking her head. "I'll do the challenge if you agree to it."

"I'll tell you what I think after dress rehearsal," he said, smiling. "The turtle bowl is ready for you. You'd best practice with Omochao and Motekaber."

* * *

><p>Sonic, Tails, and Amy waited impatiently for Knuckles to join them at the gates to the circus's detour entrance. They were aching to just leave Knuckles, but Amy had his ticket and little bracelet. She couldn't just leave without him, and Knuckles was suffering from his break-up with Julie-Su. He needed to loosen up and get some support from his friends. Plus, she was more than sure Knuckles would love to see Sonic actually complying with her fantasies of him. Tonight was going to be their first real date as a couple! Well, after much convincing, he finally agreed to it.<p>

Knuckles stomped in front of the group and smirked. Amy and Tails called his name, but Sonic only grunted and smirked as he led the way. People were chatting along the dirt road in groups of threes and fours. Families were walking down the path, reading the map. The box office staff at City Hall gave customers a map to the circus, but all you had to do was follow the posters on the oak trees. Lanterns, ribbons, and streamers helped lead the audience too. Turkeys seemed to be helping as well. They were gobbling and treading about.

"Is it Thanksgiving time already?" Sonic questioned, startling the fowl. "Guess they didn't like the sound of that."

"Oh, Sonic, don't be so mean!" Tails said. "They're probably helping us lead the way."

"Or they could be following a chicken who crossed the road," Sonic remarked, continuing the walk. A tall, round, red chicken clucked as it bobbed his head. It was the biggest hen anyone would ever see! "Now that's what I call a chick who's been working the harvest. It's gotta be at least five feet tall!"

"Would anyone actually _eat_ that hen for Thanksgiving?" Amy asked, hiding behind Sonic.

Sonic turned his head then held Amy's hand to reassure her safety. Tails noticed that Knuckles was as equally shocked by Amy and Sonic's small hint of intimacy as he was by the big hen. The poor echidna didn't know what to say for the whole scenario. No one mentioned that Sonic and Amy were on their first date, not even Tails. He usually fills Knuckles in on information that granted isn't sometimes needed. Tails repressed a chuckle at the echidna's apparent bewilderment, but he was soon interrupted by a cocky voice.

"Now that's a big mamma," the familiar voice said.

Knuckles and Tails turned to see the green hawk, Jet, looking at the hen. Jet was wearing blue denim jeans, a red and yellow spandex shirt, and red and green Converse. His airboard was strapped to his back. Tails couldn't remember if Amy said there was an airboard competition, but he had hoped desperately that there wasn't one at the circus. He would have hated to see Wave the Swallow and argue with her about flight ability on hovercrafts again. She was intelligent and pretty, but she could also be a pain in the ass whenever he accomplished some newfound tinkering.

Jet turned his gaze to Knuckles and smirked. He said, "Long time, no see."

"What are you doing here?" Knuckles asked.

"To see the stilt walkers," he answered, walking ahead. "One of 'em's a babe. Plus, there's this awesome exhibit at the carnival park that's gonna be open soon. I aim to see the grand opening. See ya, dudes."

With that, Jet rode his airboard passed the large chicken. The big hen walked into the trees and stayed there. Sonic and the gang walked through the last bit of road before seeing the circus overhead. It was pretty massive! The biggest tent was striped with golds and reds, and the shadows were a hue of burnt orange and brown. A creek was hidden behind the ferris wheel, possibly full of fish just aching for a fisherman to catch them. Aromas of popcorn and cotton candy filled the air. Concession stands were behind the entrance gates. Sonic's stomach growled, reminding him that he skipped lunch, and alerted the group.

"This is an awesome view and all, but I need to eat before we go sightseeing," Sonic said. "A little snack won't hurt."

"Well, the big tent won't open for another twenty minutes...why not?" Amy said, gripping Sonic's arm. "Let's see what they got. Come on, guys!"

Knuckles was beginning to feel very uneasy about this entire situation. He didn't know if Amy was deliberately trying to rub her affection for Sonic in his face or what. He thought he made it quite clear that he broke up with Julie-Su; he was not ready to see other relationships starting or blossoming now. Tails followed them and left him there to think. Knuckles decided to just hang around. There was one couple going through a break-up along the dirt road; he felt the same way as the girl in the situation. She yelled at the guy for being too demanding and stomped away from him. She paid for the ticket, so she went in with or without her ex-boyfriend. He walked away from the couple and saw the big hen going towards a bunch of ropes. He followed the hen to see if there were more out of curiosity.

The oak trees were covered in drooping moss. The hen clucked as it walked around the ropes. A woman was climbing up the ropes backwards. Her legs were above her head and her head was facing the ground. She coiled her legs around the rope and brought her arms out. Knuckles watched as she remained in her place. She was beautiful. Her hair was a pale blue and set in a bun, and her fur was the same color. She had a cute pink nose and plump, pink lips. She didn't wear gloves like everyone else. Her hands and toes were manicured. Strange that she even had toes, and she had three of them on each foot at that! Her legs were long and curved. The hen came to her stomach and nudged her. Her body rocked back as the hen messed with her. Seeing as though the woman was ignoring the hen, it tried tickling her to get attention.

She giggled and said, "Beatrice! I'm practicing right now. Who did you bring with you?"

"You knew I was here?" Knuckles asked, snapping out his admiration of the woman's voice.

"I heard you walking towards me," the woman said, turning to Knuckles.

Her eyes were a velvety purple! Knuckles blushed a bit then regained his calm, uncaring mood, "Sorry for disturbing you. Are you auditioning for the circus or something?"

"No, I'm already in it," the woman said with a giggle, petting the hen. "I'm one of the acrobats. You caught me at a rather odd time and position."

_I've seen worse_, Knuckles thought. _And this wouldn't be the first time if you were in a more compromising position._

"If you're an acrobat, shouldn't you be in the tent practicing instead of in public?" Knuckles asked. "Being out here like this could spoil your act."

"Well, you're kind of in the dressing room area," the woman said, uncoiling herself from the rope. She landed on the ground and smiled gently. "All of the performers are back here. Lucky for you, I'm the only one who practices before the show. I'm also the last one who gets ready. Beatrice is making sure everyone is on the dirt road before we open the big tent. There'll be a horn sounding to let everyone know the circus is about to start. Did she lead you here?"

"I sort of followed her," Knuckles said.

"Curious to see others like Beatrice?" the woman asked, earning an embarassed nod from Knuckles. "Well, Beatrice is from my hometown. She's a Cotrice, the shortest one of her kind. A Cotrice is a large bird with astounding speed. They are usually hunted for meat and jewelry, but my race fight hard to protect them from pouchers. We've lived together since I was smaller. She's still a baby."

"Wait, that thing's a baby?" Knuckles questioned in shock. Beatrice was taller than everyone, and she wasn't an adult Cotrice yet? Amazing! "How big does a Cotrice get?"

"Healthy Cotrices will grow as tall as six feet or higher," the woman informed, patting Beatrice's back. She checked the bird's choker and opened the pendant. A watch was inside of it, and the horn blew. "The show's about to start. Beatrice will take you and the others on the dirt road to the entrance gates."

The woman walked towards a train wagon and hooked it onto the bird. Beatrice was very cooperative. She stood quite still as the wagon was placed onto her back. Beatrice clucked and flapped her large wings. Her wingspan was massive! The woman directed Knuckles to sit in the wagon and waited. Knuckles wanted to refuse, knowing where his friends were, but he couldn't find the words to say it. He got on the wagon and looked into the woman's purple eyes. Should he really trust the bird?

"You'll be fine," she said, whispering into Knuckles's ear. He shivered a bit then let out a small yelp as the bird pulled off with lightning speed. "Enjoy the show, sir."

* * *

><p>Amy, Sonic, and Tails were about to go look for Knuckles. The horn blew for the tent to open, and he wasn't even with them to get snacks! Suddenly, the big hen was pulling a wagon train behind it. All three cars were filled with people who were still on the dirt road. Knuckles was one of the riders. Sonic was oddly silent as his confused face showed strong. He actually released his chilli dog and let his mouth hang open. Amy was laughing as Knuckles hopped off his wagon. Tails smiled at him. Knuckles walked up to his friends and smirked.<p>

"Did I miss anything?"

"How'd you get that big bird to give you a ride?" Tails asked.

"One of the acrobats let me," Knuckles answered. "She said it was okay. The bird's still a baby. Her name's Beatrice."

"Beatrice?" Amy questioned. Beatrice clucked as she walked towards Amy, thinking she was being called. "Oh, that's your name. You're still a baby, huh? How tall are you gonna get?"

"The acrobat said she'll be about six feet tall if she stays healthy," Knuckles answered, folding his arms. "So what'd you guys see?"

"There's some awesome games at the carnival park!" Tails said. "Rides, too! We did the bumper cars and the slides first, though. Those were the only things open. After the show, everything's gonna open. Oh, Knuckles, they're selling fruit bowls for three coins. If you want, you can ask if they sell fruit bowl boxes. They might customize a box for you."

Knuckles hummed in thought then followed everyone to the ticket master. He scanned their tickets and let them through. Tails led Knuckles to the fruit bowl stand and waited for him to get his snack. He managed to get a fruit bowl box for fifteen coins because of customization. They walked into the tent and were led upstairs to a middle row. Sonic caught sight of Cream, Cheese, and Cream's mother and greeted them.

"Hey, Cream, can we sit next to you?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic!" Cream said, her soft voice full of happiness. "I didn't know you liked the circus."

"I'm here under..._rushed_ circumstances," Sonic said, hinting a look at Amy.

"Rushed?" Cream questioned.

"Hey, Cream!" Tails greeted, warmly. "I didn't know you were going to be here. We could've gone together. You would've seen Knuckles riding the chicken wagon!"

"A chicken wagon?" Cream questioned, looking at Knuckles. He was busy eating his grapes, so he didn't see her. "I only saw turkeys."

"We'll see if the big hen is still there when this is over, okay?" Amy said, winking at Cream. Cream nodded and let Cheese chant happily.

The lights went down and a spotlight went on the center stage. Three clowns were on the stage dancing to the new music that played. There were two boy clowns, and one girl clown. The taller boy clown did a few moves that made the audience while the younger boy upgraded his dancing with breakdancing moves. The girl clown moved both boys to the side and made her rump shake provocatively. She outdid the men and gained some hype from the crowd. The clowns mimed a small argument that led them to choose some people from the audience to dance with them. Sonic yawned a bit then saw a hedgehog he didn't ever think would be at a circus.

"Dude, Shadow?" Sonic questioned, mouth wide open in shock.

Amy, Tails, and Knuckles looked down and saw the same animal. Shadow the Hedgehog was folding his arms in anger at being chosen by the girl clown no less. He and three others were embarassed yet excited from the attention they were getting. The clowns wanted everyone to dance, so they mimicked another argument about the song choice. The shorter boy clown won and ran to the DJ.

The taller boy clown directed everyone to do one move. Shadow didn't cooperate, so the clown took off his hat and smacked Shadow upside his head with it. Shadow was two seconds away from punching the clown, but the girl helped Shadow understand the dancing move. The shorter boy clown instructed the group to do another move that Shadow didn't want to do. The clown jumped up and down to do some karate kicks, but his comrades held him back and created an amusing scene; he was karate posing in mid-air as the other clowns held him back. Once he calmed his anger, the girl clown taught Shadow the new move. She then got everyone to cooperate with the next move.

Once the 70s disco song cued, everyone started dancing to the clowns' routine. Shadow looked unamused by the dance and decided to do a freestyle after everyone split into a soul train line. He posed as though he were pointing to a disco ball and opened his hand. The lights changed color and a disco ball actually descended from an unknown place. Shadow rocked his hip, put a hand to his ear to get more noise from the crowd, and did his own number. Sonic and the gang were guffawing at Shadow, mainly because he was moving his butt in his hands and doing the running man. Once he decided to pop his butt up and down, the gang was undone. He held back a chuckle and got his props from the clowns. After that, everyone left the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and gals," a voice said. "Might I introduce the man standing at 3'11", who also brought you the Cirque des Quatre Saisons premiere today. Your ring master, Tarmikos!" The penguin shouted in the microphone, earning applause at his costume. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am your ring master coming from the icy plains of Tobuchi Town heavily influenced by the eskimo lands - input your eskimo joke here - Tarmikos. We have a spectacular surprise for you all today, and I hope to give you that present." The stage hands push a large box onto the stage. "Oh, it came early. I gotta stop hiring managers after partying all night - ahem! DJ, go fire somebody! Now then, for allowing me and my team to open up shop on your lands, we thank you all very kindly for joining us. To show our gratitude, I would like to present to you all a gift. It is a custom where I come from to honor guests with gifts. Everyone count to three and make a wish. It could be a box with a thousand lottery tickets. It could be a box with a thousand pearl necklaces. It could even be a box filled with hot dogs and balloons. Everyone, are you ready? One, two, two and a half...three!"

The large white box opens. King Max and Princess Sally pop out of the box and pose for the audience. Everyone was surprised! Who knew royalties enjoyed entertainment like...? No, wait...history clearly shows that jesters were a popular entertainment. The ring master had the crowd sing the city's anthem and introduced a few acts. One of the clowns from the opening dance came up to Knuckles and quietly handed him a small ring. Knuckles was busy eating pineapples when he noticed the ring being handed to him.

"What's this for?" he asked, turning to see the clown disappear into the darkness.

Soft, flowing music poured through the tent. The song had a Latin and blues flavor to it. The atmosphere created lost romance. Water was being thrown onto the stage. A translucent floor was made and floodlights made the ripples of the water stretch all across. Flower petals were falling from the ceiling above the stage and directed the audience's attention to a red cocoon. The screens on the sides of the curtain changed to lit candles. A rack of actual scented candles was rolled next to a harpist by a stage hand. The candles filled the tent with a vanilla smell. Tarmikos walked on top of the cushion wall to introduce the next act.

"From the ancient sands of time," he started as stage hands lining the sides of the puddle with desert sands, "dancing was one of the most sensual forms of art and motion. Acrobatics were soon another form beyond the mountains and forest of the Europeans. From a sacred oasis hidden in desert lands lies the ribbon dancer who has combined these two forms and created our next act. Beautiful as a butterfly, elegant as a swan, stable like a crane: ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the lovely Maya."

Lights showed the figure of a person inside the red pod. The harpist began to play along with the song the DJ cued. Like magic, the pod opened into a large flower and gave birth to Maya the Kangamouse. Knuckles gasped, realizing that Maya was the one he met before. She was sliding down red sashes in a twirling motion. Only her toes touched the water. Her hair was down in blue curls, and she wore white eyeshadow to match her white leotard. Some men whistled at her, but she was motionless and waited for the song to progress before starting her routine.

Knuckles watched her intently and was in awe by her skill. She held onto two of the red sashes and spun them around her entire body it seemed until her arms came out with ease and she spun slowly. Suddenly, she was being uncoiled rapidly to the ground, but she twirled above the water as she held onto the sashes ends very securely. Knuckles created a chain reaction from his own impression of Maya. He clapped as he watched her twirl then others around him clapped. Only her toes and fingers ever touched the water! He had to struggle to fight a blush when she stretched her arms along her sides. That ring master was right on one thing: acrobatic dancing was a very sensual form of art and motion when done properly. Suddenly, the girl clown asked Knuckles to follow her with a warm smile. Tails thought she wanted the group to go with her, but she just wanted Knuckles. Sonic looked over Amy's head to see Knuckles standing and tapped Tails to see what was going on. Tails was just as clueless as he was.

"Art in motion. Ladies and gentlemen. The beautiful Maya," Tarmikos introduced, earning applause from the audience. "Now, we actually have something special tonight. Many of you might not have caught this little detail because you were so enchanted by our performer. As Maya was touching the water, the floor's color changed from orange to green to purple and orange again. Secretly, our three clowns were handing out little rings that had an orange, green, or purple gem in the middle. The last color that the floor changed to was orange."

Knuckles looked at the ring the clown gave to him and gasped. Within seconds, he ran to his seat and hid between Amy and Tails. The girl clown turned and noticed her chosen one was gone. Amy and Tails looked down at Knuckles, wondering why he hid himself so quickly.

"Knuckles, what's going on?" Tails questioned.

"I've got the orange gem!" Knuckles whispered.

"What?" Amy shouted in whispers.

"What's going on down there?" Sonic asked.

"Knuckles has the orange gem," Tails answered.

"Then you won something," Sonic said, tugging on Knuckles' hand. He placed his fingers in his mouth, whistled, and shouted, "Yo! He's got the orange ring!"

"Shut up!" Knuckles said, punching Sonic's knee.

"Ack!" Sonic grunted, lifting Knuckles by his arm. "Hey, this knucklehead got the orange ring! What'd he win?"

"Ah, that is the magic part," the ring master said, winking. "As tonight's king of the sacred oasis, you must decide what your queen shall do for you."

The girl clown came up to Knuckles, popped him on the head with her hat, bowed, and then stooped down on one knee and lifted a pillow in front of him. A card was on it? She said, "Your majesty, if you will."

Knuckles lifted the card and turned it over; he looked over at Sonic, who shrugged, then to the ring master. Tarmikos had the cameras zoom in on the card, and the Queen of Hearts displayed itself on the screens. Maya's eyes widened before she showed her performer's face again within the next second. The dreaded card she feared most was chosen first! Everyone watched as Maya climbed her sash to the center of her former pod. The clowns brought Knuckles back down to the front of the audience where the ring master was standing and waited for Maya to come down. She pulled out a rose, swung over to Knuckles, and handed him the rose with a soft smile.

"A gift in honor of his grace," Maya whispered, blowing a kiss to Knuckles.

The echidna said nothing after the kangaroo mouse left him. Knuckles licked his lips as Maya's hair flowed away from him in soft, blue curls. The clowns directed him away from the cushion walls and brought him back to his seat. Inwardly, Knuckles was angry. He thought Maya was going to kiss him, but she only blew one to him as if to satisfy his growing desire. It satisfied nothing! It just made him want to please his queen more.

_Did I just think she was my queen for real? _Knuckles thought.

Amy and Tails noticed Knuckles was in a daze and grew worried. Amy nudged Sonic and nodded towards the red echidna. Suddenly, Knuckles fainted! Just like that, he was out like a lightbulb!

"Whoa, Knuckles, what the hell?" Sonic shouted.

* * *

><p>Sonic was standing by the concessions stand, waiting impatiently for Knuckles to buy his third bottle of water. He didn't see any porta-potties nearby. He hoped the echidna could hold it. Ever since that acrobat, Maya, gave Knuckles the rose, he's been having panic attacks and faint spells. Sonic had begun to think that the rose was poison, but there were no signs of any drug in the flower. Knuckles was just going crazy. Guarding a big, glowing diamond should make anyone slip into periods of hysteria. The blue hedgehog's ears perked up when he heard familiar footsteps. Sonic turned his gaze and smirked. It was Shadow the Hedgehog!<p>

"Yo!" Sonic greeted. "Well, if isn't Shadow Night Fever. I saw you dancing earlier."

"Like everyone else in this forsaken city," Shadow answered, shrugging. "I'd say I earned myself some decent fame. A couple of people wanted to take my picture like I was some star or something."

"Speaking of fame, what made you want to dance anyway?" Knuckles asked, tossing his third bottle of water in a trashcan.

"Tch!" Shadow scoffed, folding his arms. "I saw some performers challenging each other to some type of match when I decided to show up to this crap, and the girl clown said it was just them having fun so I was gonna go about my business and sit in my seat. Same clown asked if I would dance with her for a prize. I wasn't into looking like an ass, so I asked what the prize was. That girl clown promised I'd get a ring to see if the ring master would choose me to be king of the oasis. When I asked who was the queen, she showed me that Maya chick while she was getting her hair curled. I didn't mind being king in that case, but it wasn't worth the dance. Clown said after the circus, you can request the performers to do a service for you like go on the rides with you or something weird like that. I says why not. The shame and embarassment I'll be feeling will be lifted if Maya repairs my rep. Only I come to find out, this red bell pepper douche won a friggin rose from the babe. Clown said Maya doesn't service just one person. She usually tends to several of them if requested. So, Knuckles gets his rose, and I still get a chance to ride something with the babe. It's all good."

"Boy, how selfish can ya get!" Sonic remarked, earning sweat drops from Knuckles and Shadow. "All that over a date with an acrobat?"

"Just 'cause you're in love with Eggman doesn't mean ya have to ruin the dream," Shadow remarked, earning hisses from Sonic.

"I am _not_ Eggman's admirer," Sonic firmly said, anger bubbling in his core.

"Anyways, you have a date," Shadow said. "Don't think I didn't catch you and Amy snuggling up in the crowd. When I saw Knuckles following the girl clown, I saw you two all nice and cozy up there. You're selfish enough to judge."

"I didn't want to go on the date!" Sonic said, clearly upset with the scene. "We were trying to get this knucklehead to come with us instead of watching the Master Emerald, so we tricked him into saving me from Amy, who was supposed to be possessed by a robot, and it actually worked. While Tails was telling my oh so tragic story about me being kidnapped by Eggman, Amy threatened to smash my skull in two if I didn't take her out at least once. Knuckles crashed the party and saved me for real. Except after Amy spoke to him, she used Tails's freezing ray prototype to trap me again. She was gonna break the ice and my body to bits if I didn't say yes. I'm not judging anyone on dates. I just think it's silly to act an ass to get one. Knuckles is better at getting dates than you."

"Knuckles lost his date a month ago, ya hag!" Shadow said.

Sonic gasped, eyes widened, and turned to Knuckles. He and Julie-Su had been together for almost three years now. Why was he just finding out that they broke up? How did Shadow know about it before he did? Knuckles growled a bit, calmed down, and left the two hedgehogs. He didn't want to talk about it. He wanted to forget about ever having to deal with the break-up. He bought a few more snacks at the concession stands then went into the big tent again to watch the next act.

* * *

><p>The theme song played for the flexibility master to enter the ring. This was the act that Amy was waiting for! Once the curtains opened for the master to step out to the stage, she was bouncing around with excitement. The woman on the website was finally coming out! Amy remembered the picture quite well: The woman had blue hair, long legs, and... Amy stopped bouncing and thought for a moment. Maya the ribbon dancer had blue hair and long legs. Tarmikos the ring master introduced the flexibility master a bit differently and the props were different too. Chinese calligraphy in red tapestries unfolded into long red curtains. The stage was covered by rice paper and ink bowls were on each corner. The lights were blue and purple. Bamboo sticks were being rolled out, and the screens had a night in a bamboo forest scenery. The sounds of waterfalls and wind filled the tent.<p>

"For this next act," the penguin started, "we have a familiar face willing to show another side of herself to you. Beyond the forests of the Europeans and north of the sacred oasis, deep in the spiritual lands of Asia rests a small village guarded by ancient spirit. The people, every year, honor their ancestral guardian by writing a poem in gratitude of his duties for them. A festival is also held in the guardian's honor for seven days. Our young master has learned the art of poetry through motion, balance, and fluidity like the streams, rivers, and waterfalls that surround this village. Ladies and gentleman be amazed by our acrobat and flex master, Maya."

"Wait, the ribbon dancer is a flex master, too?" Tails questioned, impressed.

"How is she gonna top her ribbon dancing though?" Knuckles asked, chewing on popcorn.

Amy and Tails turned their heads to see the echidna watching the show. Maya was being escorted by two gentlemen. The DJ played a song and looked at the musicians, who escorted Maya, playing a drum and guitar table. One of the musicians was an older man who had a gray streak of hair. He sounded a noise that encouraged Maya to begin. She performed some Tai Chi moves as quietly and coordinated as one could. No one made a sound. The younger musician sounded a noise and banged his drum, cuing Maya to dip her padded gloves and shoes into the ink. She arched her body in the most uncomfortable-looking position that made someone in the crowd speak.

"Look at this shit!" the person said, squinching in pain.

Maya's butt was atop her head, and her hands supported her entire upper body! The pads on her gloves created the calligraphy patterns that she began writing. Four stage hands dressed in kimonos brought the ink bowls closer to Maya then retreated to the shadows. She flipped her way to the bowls and got in the position Amy recognized on the website. She brought her feet above her head and tilted them into the bowl, twisting her arms in a bone-breaking way.

"Do you see that shit?" the same person from before, questioned in agony.

Maya turned her arms around and brought her legs above her head again to cross them Indian-style, her feet seated on her shoulders. She walked on her hands and dipped her head down to unfold her legs around her body. After many stretches, positions, and flips, Maya was completed with her poem.

"Ladies and gentleman, the young flex master, Maya!" Tarmikos said, earning shouts and applause. "Before we let Maya leave, let's translate Maya's poem. The lights if you will." All the lights changed green and the faded letters below the poem were displayed. Tarmikos read the subtitles, "Did you...enjoy...my showmanship tonight?"

The stage hands, musicians, and Maya sounded a cry of pride then bowed. The audience was very impressed with the flex master more than the ribbon dancer, even though the acrobatics had a lasting impression. Amy was whistling to Maya, cheering for her, until Sonic joined in on the applause. Amy turned to him and called his name in glee. She was happy that she got the chance to see the flex master from the website!

"Since the color of lighting was green, would the man or woman with the green gem on their ring please stand," Tarmikos said. Jet the Hawk stood from his seat then walked down to the cushion wall. "A kiss for the gentleman from the flex master, Maya."

* * *

><p>Sonic and the gang left the big tent after the show ended. It was a lot of fun! Cream and Cheese got to rid an elephant, Tails got to ride the chicken wagon, Amy had the opportunity to pet a liger, Knuckles got a rose from Maya, and Sonic got to watch Shadow act like a fool. He enjoyed that laugh. Jet got to dance with one of the stilt walkers at the end of the show, too. Knuckles agreed with Jet on one thing: the stilt walker was a cutie for a macaw. The group was walking to the carnival park now to see what was open. Everything was lit up and ready for use! Amy dragged Sonic to go on a rollercoaster first. Tails decided to go with Cream, Cheese, and Cream's mother on a smaller boat ride. They asked Knuckles if he wanted to go with them, but he decided to watch everyone first. He still had food in his stomach.<p>

As Knuckles watched Sonic and Amy on the rollercoaster, he noticed that Sonic was changing colors. He went from blue to green after the plunge down and the loops. Knuckles chuckled, realizing Sonic's food hadn't completely digested. The echidna then turned to the boat ride. Cream's mother hadn't riden a pendulum ride in a while, so she changed colors too. Knuckles kept watching until he spotted Shadow talking to Maya. She was smiling and giggling at whatever Shadow was telling her. The girl clown was with them, and she was laughing too. Shadow pointed to a ride and earned nods from both women as they walked towards it. Knuckles decided to follow them.

Shadow, Maya, and the girl clown were boarding some type of blimp. The two supervisors of the ride were giving them instructions on the game as they entered the vehicle. Fans were given to them as they sat down in their seats. The blimp floated up and brought them to a certain height. Knuckles grew curious of what was happened and finished the last of his cotton candy to watch. All three of them jumped off the blimp! One of the supervisors pulled a lever to unleash explosive plasma balls from a floating cannon. As the plasma balls rose to the group, they flapped to avoid them. The girl clown got hit with one and was elevated up higher than Maya and Shadow. Shadow got hit, not paying attention to it and paying attention to Maya's skirt floating up, and was brought on the same level as the girl clown. Maya won the game and earned a candy bar.

"Maya won the game!" the floating supervisor said, flipping. "Omochao is happy for you!"

"You're just happy 'cause she's cute," Shadow mumbled, causing Omochao to stop flipping and blush. "See."

"You lost 'cause you were being a peep," a familiar voice commented.

Shadow turned to see Knuckles walking up to them. He said, "Yo, where ya been? You wondered off after what happened at the stands."

"I went back to see the rest of the show," Knuckles answered.

"Did we do a good job?" the girl clown asked.

"You embarassed me!" Knuckles claimed.

"Ravaaga was just doing her job," Maya said, smiling. "She doesn't intentionally mean to embarass anyone. Since my king of the oasis has come, I must grant you your request. For selecting the Queen of Hearts, the king of the oasis is permitted to go on a free gandola ride with his queen or royal court. If you have a girlfriend or group of friends or family members with you, the card attached to your rose will grant the free ride and pardon any fees. I hope you enjoy your gift, sire."

"Lucky bastard," Shadow remarked, smirking and folding his arms.

"You can also ride the gandolas at any time," Ravaaga said. "And, if you want, you can ask any performer you like to ride with you."

Knuckles's mouth twitched. Maya didn't mention that detail to him. That said something about her: She was very considerate. Shadow grinned and turned to Omochao to reserve another game for the group. He had two more games to go, and he was out of that area. A little girl asked Ravaaga if she could make an animal balloon, so Ravaaga left Maya and Knuckles alone. Knuckles began to turn pink as Maya waved to some people.

"Um, Maya?" Knuckles called, earning Maya's attention. "You said the king goes free on the gandolas, right? Why didn't you say I could go with a performer first?"

"Every king has his own queen, sire," Maya said. "For a husband, it is his wife. For a father, it is his daughter. For an uncle, it is his niece. Being a performer does not fill a true queen's place. For you, my king, you may have another queen in your heart. That is the purpose of the card you chose. Decide who is the queen in your heart."

"I don't have a queen right now," Knuckles said, licking his lips. "So...would you go with me?"


	3. Chapter 3

Maya blinked slowly as she processed Knuckles's request. Was he being serious? She didn't see Knuckles with anyone when they met, but he could've met up with someone as he was riding the wagon. Maya thought certainly a boy like Knuckles would not be single. He was quite handsome. She looked down into Knuckles's blushing face (after all, she was nearly five feet tall) and noticed he was beginning to regret asking her to ride the gandolas with him. His face was squinching, mouth baring his teeth a bit, and his blush was fading away. Maya was supposed to go with him because of the challenge Versha made against her, but she didn't want to go against Knuckles's will. However, he seemed to be a nice guy; he wasn't trying to get her number or anything, and she was being asked to go on a gandola ride as a performer.

_I guess it couldn't hurt to ride with him... _Maya thought. _The fireworks will be starting soon, too. I'd like to see them by the creek._

Maya smiled at the echidna then said softly, "Your queen is honored, sire. As part of the king's gift, I would love to accompany your grace to the gandolas."

Knuckles stopped growling and looked into Maya's velvet purple eyes. She approved of someone like him! He shied away from Maya's smile then turned to her in a solemn mood. He said, "Okay, but I have another request. Could you stop using formalities, please? My name is Knuckles. No 'sire' or 'your grace' required. Just Knuckles. Second, I don't want any tricks coming from you like last time."

"Tricks?" Maya questioned, ears spanning outward, tilting her head.

_She's too cute when she - NO! _Knuckles thought, growing angry.

"Don't be cute when I'm trying to make a point!" Knuckles argued, clenching his fists. He sighed then continued, "You tricked me after you gave me the rose. You made it seem like you were going to kiss me, and then you stopped and floated away."

"That's silly!" Maya said, smiling adorably. "Kangaroo mice can't fly."

Knuckles felt he could scream. Kangaroo mice may not fly, but they certainly are naive, especially this Maya. Cute as she is, she apparently doesn't realize how much of an impact her beauty can hold. Knuckles settled down with a frustrated sigh; he didn't want to blow his date off so quickly. Wait a minute, when was Maya his date? Knuckles growled viciously as he slipped into other thoughts again. He said, "Dammit, this is serious!"

"If you want a kiss, all you had to do was ask," Maya replied, giggling. "That was just a part of my act, Knuckles. But, because this is where I work, I will have to ask for two coins."

"Two...coins?" Knuckles questioned, raising a brow.

"Well, a kiss at the kissing booth will cost you two coins," Maya said, as if stating the obvious. "Now, if you want to be the kisser instead of paying for a kiss, it will cost you five coins. The kissing booth is by the ferris wheel. I'll take you there to see if it's vacant. A lot of circus goers like the booth."

Knuckles wasn't expecting there to be a kissing booth at the circus, but it was a first time for everything apparently. He turned to the rollercoaster and saw Sonic and Amy dismounting. Amy was as happy as a junebug while Sonic was secretly heaving out his last eaten chilli dog. Tails and Cream tried to support Cream's mother after she eased her way off shakily, but it was obvious that she was through with joy rides. Shadow was sitting on a neighborly bench, waiting for Ravaaga and Maya to join him. Knuckles felt he earned more than a dumb flower from Maya, so he decided to go for the booth. Sonic wasn't giving into Amy's fantasies that easily, and Shadow seemed to be after Maya for a date for real. Knuckles wasn't about to give in to depressing over Julie-Su when there was a beautiful performer around him. Plus, Knuckles wanted everyone's expectations of him to change when it came to dating. Sure, he's a bit avoidable; sure, he can be somewhat of a loner, but that didn't mean he didn't know about dating. He decided to hang with Shadow and his performer pals. Knuckles walked up to Shadow, folded his arms, and then smirked.

"Need an extra man?" the red echidna questioned, confidently. He was going with Shadow whether he liked it or not. "Sonic's too busy to compete, and you seem to like my kind of games."

Shadow smirked, eyes showing a competitive glint, and said, "Just you?"

"Group's too full to add one more?" Knuckles questioned, smirk widening.

"Nah, I can squeeze one more in," Shadow answered, turning to Ravaaga.

The little girl received two balloon animals and was ready to proceed to the twirling ladybug ride. Maya was asked to take a picture with some people, so she stepped away for a moment. Ravaaga stomped her feet, questioning the lack of picture-taking for her. The group ran back to take some pictures of Ravaaga the Rabbit. Knuckles and Shadow waited for the girls to finish posing with the people. Maya and Ravaaga returned to the boys and noticed they gave them odd looks.

"What's up, guys?" Ravaaga asked.

"It's a guy thing," Shadow answered, standing to his feet. "So, got any other thrill rides like this one?"

"What was this game anyway?" Knuckles asked.

"Plasma Plunge," Ravaaga replied. "You have to use the fans to avoid the plasma balls. Get hit, you elevate higher. The objective is to reach the goal below with the fastest time. You win candy bars!"

"Sounds interesting," Knuckles said. "What's the next game?"

"Oh!" Maya gasped, realizing something. "Omochao said he and Motekaber had a new game. Ne, Omochao?" The flying supervisor hovered towards the blue kangamouse. "What's the new game you said you created for us? The one you wanted me and Versha to test out?"

"Ah!" Omochao exclaimed. "Would Maya like to try the new game for Omochao?"

"Yeah, it'd be cool!" Maya said, smiling warmly. "I think you did a great job creating it."

"Omochao is happy!" the little flyer declared, floating on cloud nine.

"I swear it's because she's cute," Shadow remarked, watching Omochao descend harshly to the ground.

Motekaber picked little Omochao up into his arms and led the group to the game grounds. Omochao recovered from his plummet to the ground and returned to fluttering about. He prepared special shoes for the girls, but he noticed the boys had better grip on their shoes than the ones he was planning to give them. They probably wouldn't need his shoes. Knuckles watched Omochao place an interesting pair of metal-heeled booties on Maya's feet. Her fur was very shiny. Suddenly, he thought about something quizically sensitive.

"Wait a minute, are you going to do this in a dress?" Knuckles asked.

"Maya has done Omochao's games in dresses plenty of times," the little flyer said.

"Oh great, he's a pervert too," Shadow inserted, making Omochao hit the ground again.

"If red king wishes to protect queen, Maya can take off robe," Motekaber the taller, walking supervisor said. "Red king must feel odd to have blue queen in such daring game with long skirt."

"Couldn't hang long, could you, old man?" Shadow remarked, closing one eye in a smug grin. "What a dull guy."

"Who are you callin' dull, disco boy?" Knuckles argued, yelling in Shadow's ear.

"You're too chicken to go with the flow," Shadow added, shrugging the echidna off. "Your little blue queen'll be fine. She's wearing her leotard under that robe."

"And how would you know that, ya peeping Tom?" Knuckles argued.

Shadow pointed to Maya and watched as she removed her robe. She was wearing her white leotard with a pair of denim shorts. Knuckles was silenced. After a few more arguments ensued between Knuckles and Shadow, Omochao and Motekaber led the group to a shipwrecked area. Four pirate cannons were aligned behind a white line. A cyclinder-shaped stone pillar was on the side of the blue-painted cannon. Knuckles noticed that they were in front of the creek, and a small island was in the middle of it. The gandolas might not be too far away.

"Fantasizing already, old man?" Shadow whispered, walking passed Knuckles to stand by the blue cannon. "Your queen's in the green cannon. You got the red one, right?"

"Huh?" Knuckles questioned, noticing Maya taking a few steps back.

He didn't hear Omochao's instructions or the game rules! Shadow noticed the look on Knuckles's face and wanted to laugh. He explained the rules in brief terms for Knuckles out of pity instead.

* * *

><p>Sonic, Tails, and Amy said their farewell to Cream, Cheese, and Cream's mother after more rides and games. It was getting late. Tails led the couple around the carnival park to search for Knuckles, but he found someone else he really wasn't planning on seeing: Wave the Swallow. She was in a white sundress and wedge sandals. She was throwing baseballs through small targets on a yellow net. When she was finished, she received a stuffed scarlet macaw toy from a tall eagle supervisor. He complimented her after giving her the plush toy and made her blush. Tails was surprised that someone like Wave would even go for a plush toy. Wave turned to walk to an arcade shooting game when she noticed Tails and his friends walking towards her. She smirked and continued going to her destination, not bothering to say hello. Tails found it suspicious and turned to the hedgehog couple.<p>

"Hey, Sonic, I gotta go to the restroom for a minute," Tails said, smiling at Sonic. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? Keep looking for Knuckles while I'm gone."

With that, Tails left to follow Wave. He noticed she stopped in front of a red and white striped tent with statues on either side of the waiting line's rails. The fuschia swallow waited impatiently for the shooting game's supervisor to come back to the door's entrance. There weren't many people aching to play this game, but Wave felt inwardly proud at not having to wait in a long line like she did for the rollercoaster. Suddenly, Tarmikos the Penguin came from behind a curtain and gave Wave a surprised look. Even he was impressed that one person wanted to play the arcade shooting game! She smiled and wanted to laugh, but it was about to be game time. She may have needed the extra concentration to understand the game's rules.

"Well, well," Tarmikos said, smiling happily. "I've never seen a woman interested in my game before other than my performers. So what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to play, silly," Wave said with a small giggle. "What are the rules?"

"Now that's a spunk I don't see often," Tarmikos said, making Wave more proud of herself. "The rules are pretty simple. I'll give you a pack with three guns: each holds 100 bullets. Fire at the attacking robots and earn points. When the round is over, you get a reward of your choosing. You can equip your pack with other items before the round starts."

"That's it? Really?" Wave asked.

"Oh! Have lots of fun," Tarmikos said, winking.

"Can I join then?" Tails quirked.

Wave turned to the fox and gradually smirked. She said, "Well, if it isn't the furball. Didn't think you'd be a stalker." Tails didn't respond to her insult, which surprised Wave, but he seemed interested in the shooting game. Wave softened her competitive smirk into a warm smile, making Tails blush a bit, then said, "It could be fun playing with someone else, right?"

"Wha - ?" Tails began to question. She was actually inviting him to play! "Y-yeah, of course!"

* * *

><p>Knuckles stomped before the group and smirked. He was confident he won the pirate cannon game easy. Maya and Ravaaga still had the excitement and adrenaline in them as they giggled about how fast the cannon blasted them. Shadow was actually impressed by the game. It was fun! Sonic and Amy walked up to the group and noticed everyone either smiling or ghosting a smile.<p>

"Hey, what's with the pudding faces?" Sonic questioned, earning a nod from Amy. "You look like you just found out the coolest secret to the meaning of life or something."

"Nah, we just got off this awesome ride," Shadow said. "We're waiting on the results for who won."

"We have them," Omochao announced. "Shadow has an astounding 15 points! Ravaage came in second with ten points, Knuckles is third with eight points, and poor Maya-chan only had six points. But, no one collected as many rings as Maya, and the rings give you extra points. For every seven rings, you earn two points. Shadow collected three rings, Ravaaga got four, Knuckles got none, and Maya collected eight. With the bonus points added to the score, Shadow has 15, Ravaaga has 10, and Knuckles and Maya-chan tie in with 8 points. So, Shadow-chan is the winner!"

"Ha!" Shadow barked, posing victoriously.

"So where's Tails?" Knuckles asked, trying to sound unmoved by his loss at the game.

"Said he had to go potty," Sonic answered, stretching his arms. "We were lookin' for you, knucklehead. We thought you'd be nearby, but you wandered off and didn't say where. Didn't think you'd be around that guy?"

"Sonic," Amy called, pushing Sonic. "He has a name, ya know."

"Maya the Kangamouse!" a female voice called in a Latina accent.

The group turned their heads to see a flashy scarlet macaw flipping her curly red hair and pointing directly at the blue kangaroo mouse. The macaw didn't wear gloves either; her hands were perfectly manicured. She wore yellow and green open-toe wedge heels with interlacing straps and a halter top of the same fashion and color. Her arm warmers were frilled yellow, green, and black skirt above her wrists where two purple bracelets were resting. Her feathered body was a soft, bright red. Her eyes contradicted her flashy coloring, though: They were a soft hazel color. Maya furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head as an answer. What did Versha want now? The macaw smirked then leapt into the air to fly closer to Maya. She landed quite elegantly in her yellow wedge heels and stood akimbo in front of the taller animal before her.

She said, "I went over to the gandolas for the first time all night to service a fan, and I have not heard any reports on you riding one with that red fellow over there. Stalling was not a part of the deal."

"I wasn't stalling," Maya said, uncharacteristically dark. "Red dude's name is Knuckles. First of all, I didn't see Knuckles when we came out, and we just met each other a few minutes ago. I don't go stalking customers for more attention, Versha."

"You're just upset because you're losing the bet," Versha said, arching her eyebrows shrewdly. "I told Tarmikos you were too reserved for the job, but you wouldn't admit it. Here you are now, playing games like a paying customer to get away from the challenge. You'll be out of a job soon if you don't prove me wrong, Maya. I'll be happy to take your ribbon dancing act. You've been getting more and more nervous since your fall that cancelled our show in the Spring. A confident, sensual woman with style is more preferred than a shallow little girl. You'll lose popularity and credibility for your acts if you don't step up."

The macaw chuckled then left. Maya watched Versha leave her and gritted her teeth. She was right: Maya was too reserved and quiet to gain more customers. She could escort people to rides and join them as much as she wanted, but none of that meant the night would be memorable for them. Yes, her acts were considered amazing, but what good were they if only a few people get to see them? Maya took a deep breath and smiled remorsefully. Her pretty ears drooping in sadness. Wouldn't it be better for Versha to have two acts? She was the most beautiful of the performers and the most popular. It isn't fair for Versha to only have one while Maya had three. Why not let Versha take her ribbon dancing act? Maya was about to retrieve her robe from a saddened Omochao, but Amy took Maya's hand and held it gently.

"Miss Maya!" Amy called.

"Eh?" the blue mouse questioned, making a strange face.

"I like that you don't go following your customers or fans around for more publicity, Miss Maya," Amy said supportively. "You work really hard to be as perfect as you can be, and I think you're wonderful in all of your performances. Any circus or stage show who gets rid of you because you're tired after giving your best every opening night isn't worth working for. I don't want a performer to come for me to get better sales. I want a performer to have some fun with me because that's what I'll remember most. Knuckles and Shadow both like you because you don't mind having a little fun first, and you know more about the carnival park's hidden game spots. I didn't know there was a pirate section here, but you led them straight to it. The only reason that girl wants your act is because you make the show cool. I saw something natural and graceful in you."

"You even got dark and flea-bitten to do disco just for a chance to hang out with you," Sonic remarked, making Shadow growl at him. "I didn't hear anyone mention that noisy macaw."

"Jet did," Knuckles mumbled. "All he wanted to see was Versha's bit, but you kissed him in your flex master act. I didn't see Versha go so far as to service him like that when he danced with her."

"And Omochao likes when Maya-chan helps him make up new games," the little flyer said.

"That's 'cause you get to see her in a dress all the time," Shadow remarked, watching Omochao hit the ground again. It never gets old! "I like this guy."

Maya showed a genuine smile to the group and said very quietly, "Thank you - all of you. This really shouldn't have transpired in public so indiscreetly. Employment and its conditions are to be kept under wraps, but Versha has always been a rather exploititive character."

"And it's unprofessional! Maybe Versha's losing her own job and just threatening to get rid of yours first," Amy suggested, still holding Maya's hand.

"All this talk of business is ruining your trip," Maya said, looking at Ravaaga. "We should be escorting you to your next game, Shadow."

"Why don't you and that old man go on that gandola ride?" Shadow suggested, smirking. "I'll play the next game with these guys. Take it easy on pepper skin, though. He's shy around girls."

Maya smiled gently then took Knuckles's paw into her hands. Knuckles was beginning to feel very uneasy. He didn't want Maya to be sad over Versha's comments, but he also didn't want to give in to another woman because of peer pressure. He blushed once he looked into Maya's eyes. She was beautiful, and she was more fun to hang around in the carnival park. That Versha had some nerve trying to take her ribbon dancing act!

_She's a better queen than Versha'll ever be! _Knuckles thought, punching his palm. _Wait a minute... why am I reacting to any of this?_

* * *

><p>"Ah, the royalty of the ancient oasis," a voice said.<p>

Knuckles looked up and saw a tall, brown dove with red eyes kissing the back of Maya's hand as she curtsied. He was a gandola driver. He wore a striped shirt and solid black pants, and he was oddly muscular. His voice was gentle yet deep. There were women standing in line trying to ride with the dove, but he escorted Maya onto the gandola and beckoned for Knuckles to join her. Knuckles boarded the gandola as it rocked in the calm water and heard purring nearby. If anything, he was sure Blaze the periwinkle puss wasn't here.

"Always purring when water is near, eh, Maya?" the dove teased, touching Maya's pink nose.

Maya squeaked then giggled. Her nose was quite sensitive. She said, "Such a terrible habit of mine. The sounds of water always soothes my ears - big as they are."

"Do all kangaroo mice have large ears?" Knuckles asked. "Or purr when water's near?"

"Well," Maya said, watching the dove direct the gandola further into the creek. "Kangaroo mice have different sized ears. Mine are particularly larger than most girls and women. Mice with large ears can hear things at a further distance than most with smaller ears. As for the purring, I'm the only one who does it. We kangaroo mice don't drink water."

"You don't drink water?" Knuckles questioned, surprised.

"In all my seventeen years, I've never drunk water," Maya says. "Do your kind drink water?"

"All animals drink some water," Knuckles responded, not knowing how Maya could survive without water.

"They do?" Maya asked, ears sticking up. "What does water taste like?"

"It, uh, tastes like, uh," Knuckles stuttered, trying to escape Maya's cute face. He shoves his paw into the creek's water and scoops some of it. Forming his paws into cups, he looks at the gandolas rugs and presents Maya some water from his hands. "Here," he says.

Maya looks at the water with a saddened face then smiles. The echidna, though shy as Shadow had said, was very sweet. She takes Knuckles's paws to her lips then drinks the water. Knuckles snaps his head up to look at Maya and watches as she sips from his paws. She really drunk from him! The gandola driver laughed at him then steered the gandola under a bridge.

"The fireworks begin," he said, pointing to the sky.

Maya holds Knuckles paws and looks into the sky to see the fireworks. Knuckles was blushing profusely as both performers' attention was directed to the sky. The scene was too romantic for him! A handsome boat driver, a beautiful girl, the fireworks above the creek, the sentimental moment with water, and his stupid shyness? Knuckles wanted off the boat immediately. He snatched his paws away from Maya's fingers, startling her, and folded his arms as he looked at the fireworks. Maya looked to the creek and saw little fish darting through the waters. She had tasted their water for the first time tonight, and it was thanks to Knuckles. After nearly being blinded by a strong firework, Knuckles turned his attention to Maya and noticed she looked sad again as she looked at the creek. She might have been thinking about Versha again.

"Don't let her bother you," Knuckles said to her. "You upheld your end of the bargain, so it's okay."

"She is right, though," Maya said. "What I do isn't enough. I'll give her my dancing act and just stick with my other two acts. It's only fair. She's very beautiful and more open. She'll be a great dancer. She always was. However, she's not the least of my concerns."

"Then, why are you so sad?" Knuckles asked.

"The water tasted bitter in your hands," Maya answered, looking into Knuckles's eyes. "I'm not making you happy."

"Wha - ?" Knuckles started. Maya's face made him resign and look down to gandola rugs. She was giving up her role as queen of the oasis because of him and his ridiculous shy behavior. He hadn't smiled or showed genuine thrill about anything since they found each other again, but he never thought negatively about Maya. He said, "That isn't fair for other people who want to see you perform, you know. People'll talk about your dancing act and encourage others to want to see you. If they show up and you're not there but someone else, you'll get bad business for sure. I...well, my friends and I will be disappointed if you were to give up after we tried to cheer you up. I'll be very unhappy, too."

"You already are unhappy," Maya said, dismounting from the gandola. The boat had returned to its starting point. She looked to Knuckles then bowed and smiled while saying, "Thank you for the ride, your highness. Your queen was very pleased."

"So, you went on the ride with the red fellow, eh?" a familiar voice asked.

Maya turned to Versha and said, "Yes, it was very nice. The fireworks started while we were out. It was...pretty."

"Sad faces are not at all professional, Maya," Versha said, smirking.

"I know," the blue mouse said quietly. "I'm just sad that this will be my last time being queen."

"What're you talking about?" Versha questioned. "You went on the ride as promised."

"I always looked up to you as a dancer and performer. I can't keep trying to outdo my acts every night flawlessly, and winter will be coming soon. Our performing nights for the fall season will be all over. Once November hits, I'll be out for the winter season. During the fall season, I won't be in the carnival park or on the circus grounds. I'll need someone to replace me soon as possible. I would be honored, Versha, if you could do my ribbon dancing act. Ravaaga agreed to do my pendulum act, and Tarmikos and I will be looking for a replacement in my flex act this coming September. Would you be willing to take on my dancing act, Versha?"


	4. Chapter 4

Versha the Scarlet Macaw was flabbergasted. Here stood one of the most beautiful performers she had ever known in Cirque des Quatre Saisons, and Maya the Kangamouse was giving up her title as ribbon dancer. Maya never gave up in her life! Even when she sprained her ankle, even when she fell from such a grand height, even when she didn't want to do this dare, she never gave up. She always pulled through and remained a favorite to her fans. Maya even admitted to looking up to her.

"But why?" Versha questioned, tilting her head so her curly hair flowed to the side. "That red fellow's friends even supported you. You're just giving up?"

"No, I'm not giving up!" Maya argued, smirking confidently. "I held my end of the bargain. I'm just saying that... I won't be in this circus anymore, so you should take my place in any performance you like. I, personally, would be honored if you could take my ribbon dancing act. I'm sure you'll do great! Even though I won't be here for long, we should enjoy this night like nobody's business."

Versha remained quiet but also suspicious. Maya definitely wasn't making any sense and was making up ridiculous excuses, but why was she trying to cover up her motives? It couldn't have been her hibernation period back home in their country. Her hibernation period was never problematic like this. She worked until sleep became her source of energy, and the circus doesn't run every day. They only work half the year. Versha hummed in thought then smirked and said, "I know you are lying to me, pequena chica, but I trust your decision to leave. If you have to make up an excuse, even a bad one, it must mean it's important. Your behavior isn't like you one bit, and it's better if you stayed yourself. I've known you long enough to recognize a change in your behavior."

Maya's ears perked up at this. She watched Versha smile at her warmly and almost wanted to cry. Her mentor in this business trusted her enough to see the good through her lies. Maya didn't actually want to leave, but she owed someone a huge favor and it would conflict with her career here in the circus. Before the mouse could say anything, a bright spotlight practically blinded the group. Everyone in the group and the area looked skyward to see a large airship floating above them and glowing an ominously red color. Knuckles looked into the sky and saw the one person he hadn't seen in years.

"Eggman!"

"Who is Eggman?" Versha questioned, putting a hand to her face to block the light. "Tell him to turn off that disgusting beam!"

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my old friend, Knuckles," Eggman chuckled.

The doctor politely killed the beam for Versha and descended toward Maya in his hover-egg with his two companion robots, Orbot and Cubot. He hardly changed since last time Knuckles had seen him. His wardrobe was still the same and his eyes were still scheming. Maya gasped lightly, not knowing that Eggman was coming to pick her up so soon. Eggman offered his hand to the mouse and kissed her hand before sneering at the echidna growling at him. His eyes glowed mischievously from the echidna's reaction and a thought crossed his mind.

"Now, Knuckles, why the angry face? I only came to pick up this young lady. Unless you're jealous," Eggman teased, watching Knuckles become angrier.

"Hey, queeny!" Knuckles called, earning Maya's attention. "What business do you have with Eggman?"

"Oh, well, Doctor Robotnik saved me from an attack in the desert where I come from. To thank him, I'm helping start his own circus," Maya said cheerfully.

"Was that all?" Versha questioned, not seeing why Maya didn't just say that in the beginning.

"Oh yeah, what'd he save you from?" Knuckles questioned.

"Sand scorpions," Maya answered. "The ones that live in my desert are large to eat all of us whole, and their stingers can pierce any shield. My people just use the dark matter ores found in the mines to make stronger shields, but it is still so difficult."

A horn sounded in the distance and the lights were dimming. It was time for the circus to end. Versha heard flapping coming towards them and saw Beatrice running with a wagon behind her. Some people were on the wagon, too.

"Hey, Knuckles!" Sonic called, jumping off the wagon and landing adjacent to the echidna. "Party's over, man. Kiss your queen goodbye and let's go home."

"Wait, what's Eggman doing here?" Tails asked, floating next to Sonic.

"I was beginning to wonder the same thing," Versha started, "but apparently the reason was just explained."

"Long time, no see, Eggman. Mind explaining exactly why you're crashing the party this time?" Sonic asked in his usual hero tone.

"I've had the pleasure of observing how a circus should be for the people. I've thought about how my amusement park failed so miserably," Eggman said, watching Sonic whistle off his call-out, "and have decided to instead mix the theme park idea with some circus fun! Maya, here, is going to help me build a spot."

"Is that all?" Sonic asked, turning to Maya. He watched her nod. "So where's this new and improved fun town gonna be?"

"You'll know when you see it," Eggman commented, smiling widely. He pushed a button to activate the rockets beneath the hover-egg and smirked when Maya held on to the sides of the vehicle.

Knuckles watched Beatrice flap her large wings in disapproval and clucked at Maya. Versha walked over to the large bird and unhooked her wagon. Beatrice ran to Maya and nuzzled to her neck. Maya pet Beatrice on her head and had a quick thought before she hopped off Eggman's vehicle. The mouse climbed onto Beatrice's back and gave her a sweet embrace before giggling at the bird's happy clucks. Eggman grunted in curiosity then watched Maya turn to everyone and smile.

"Why not I take you guys to the gates before I leave? I think I should take Beatrice with me. She isn't used to being without a guardian, and I am her keeper," Maya suggests.

"You're honestly going to go with that madman?" Knuckles growled.

Maya looked into Knuckles's face and began to wonder about the doctor chuckling behind her. If Knuckles and Eggman knew each other and Knuckles obviously can't stand him, was she right about repaying her debt to him? Maybe it was best for her to keep in touch with the red echidna. Maya clicked her tongue, ordering Beatrice to sit down, and dismounted from the large bird. She took a few large steps towards Knuckles then smiled before kissing him.

"Say what?" Sonic shouted more than questioned, obviously in shock at Maya's boldness.

"Wow..." was all Tails could possibly say as he watched Knuckles's surprised face.

Knuckles was stuck between his own desire and reason. He first reasoned that he should push Maya away from him, but he really wanted her to continue to see how far she'd go with a stranger. Second, he reasoned that it wasn't right to kiss a stranger or performer while she's still at work, but she was a good kisser and was beginning to submit to him. Lastly, she was going with Eggman to HELP him start his own circus, but she started the kiss in the first place and now he's back to square one on the reasons not to kiss a random girl! Maya parted from Knuckles's lips with a small, gentle smile and placed two coins in his hands.

"I have to repay his kindness, Knuckles," Maya whispered. "That won't change. But, if he is as evil as you say, these booth coins will help me find you. You and your blue friend are the only ones who seem to know him. If he does wrong, only you two can stop him."


End file.
